Lawsuits Against Drug Companies Grow in Popularity

August 2006

During the past few years, over 6,000 lawsuits have been filed against four major drugs claiming their makers failed to disclose the drugs’ risks or failed to properly test them. Lawsuits like these are raising concerns about whether drugmakers and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) care about patient safety.

Four drugs involved in lawsuits include:

• Hormone replacement therapies Prempro and Premarin have over 5,000 lawsuits for failing to properly test and warn for potential risks, including breast cancer.
• Birth control patch Ortho Evra has 500 lawsuits for failing to properly test for blood clots and denying the risk of blood clots and other factors.
• Seroquel, an anti-psychotic drug, has 380 lawsuits for overstating benefits and minimizing the risk of developing diabetes.
• Anti-seizure and pain relieving drug Neurontin faces 300 lawsuits for increasing the risk of suicide or suicide attempts.

To date these drugs are still on the market because the FDA feels that their benefits are greater than their risks.